Ambrosia

Wow, that smile.

Oh, did she love that smile.

It was wide, the grin stretched so impossibly far from ear to ear, complemented with a flash of pearly white teeth that could blind someone a mile away. And the eyes - so blue it rivaled sapphire gems, so vast that all the oceans and seas on Earth would never be able to compare. The expression held such love that it startled Lena, that it made her wonder if that particular smile was filled with a certain fondness that was only made for her.

Kara Danvers probably made everyone feel that way - special.

But Lena was not anyone special, at least not to her.

She was, to simply put it, just another friend, because Kara certainly had many of them. But those types of bonds were rare for Lena, so she probably cherished their friendship more than Kara did. Their relationship was platonic, and platonic only.

Not that Lena minded, she was content with having Kara in her life, in any capacity that the blonde wished to be.

And that was a friend.

And that was enough.

Lena would not jeopardize what they built with a slip of her tongue, with an emotional, pathetic confession about the love she harbored for Kara.

Not that the potential of ruining their friendship would be enough to hold Lena back; she was a businesswoman - a CEO of a multibillion dollar company - she took risks, no matter how uncertain she was of the outcome.

But Kara Danvers was not the same thing.

With a business deal, Lena could gain millions or lose millions, but those losses could be gained back with time.

With Kara, Lena could imagine - could dream - about the prospect of reciprocation, or she could lose something - someone - that was priceless, that all the money in the universe could not afford.

That thought in itself was terrifying enough to stop Lena from doing or saying something she would regret forever, as well as the rejection that she convinced herself was inevitable.

Besides...a Luthor and a Super? Complete and utter ridiculousness.

Speaking of Supers, Kara had yet to disclose that piece of vital information, and Lena admitted that it kind of hurt since they were pretty much best friends.

"Hey."

The woman shook her head, willing the distracting thoughts away, "Yeah?"

Kara chuckled lightly, "You should probably pay more attention to driving."

Lena waved a hand off casually, forcing a laugh, "What makes you think I'm not?"

The blonde's smile faltered just a fraction, "I can hear you thinking from a mile away," she placed a comforting hand on her friend's leg, squeezing it once, "You always seem to have a lot on your mind. What's up?"

Lena's brain short-circuited for a fraction of a second, the cerebral of nerves drifting off to how warm Kara's hand was on her thigh, just above her knee.

Kryptonians always ran a little hotter than humans to tolerate the cold temperatures of Krypton if she recalled correctly.

Lena could feel the synapses snapping as they registered the pressure of the fingers that pressed into her skin through the denim of her tight black jeans. If she had not changed out of her shorter business dress before they met up, Kara would have been touching skin instead, and that would probably have slumped the Luthor's usually composed demeanor so that she would slouch like some hag, it would have melted her brain into a puddle, it would have reduced her to a babbling idiot.

Lena managed to maintain the calm in her speech, proud that only a single unbidden stutter slipped from her red lips, "N-Nothing. I just," she cut herself off, changed the subject, "Where exactly are we going?"

The transition could have been better if she wanted to avoid talking about how she was feeling, if she wanted to avoid worrying her friend, but Kara did not push. Thankfully.

"We're here actually," the blonde gave a small smile, pointing in the distance, "Just park in that lot. I'll be back in five minutes, I just wanted to get a bottle of my favorite."

"I'll pay for it," Lena said as she parked the vehicle, she could hear the rowdiness and obnoxious noise coming from the bar outside.

"That's so sweet of you for offering, but I can-"

"It wasn't an offer," the Luthor smirked, tilting her head, "And I insist."

Kara laughed, threw her head back as she exited the car after her friend, "Well, we both know that once you've made a decision that no one can talk you out of it, so..."

Lena shrugged, averting her eyes as they entered the bar, else she would be staring at the endearing blonde the entire night, "You're worth it. Besides, I did cancel on you last time."

From the corner of her vision, she swore she witnessed Kara blush and duck her head.

"Anyway," Lena continued, her heels clacking loudly on the floor, "You usually don't drink alcohol too often," she gestured to the shelves in front of the counter as they waited the bartender, "Not to mention this place seems to be stocked with only strong liquors, so what's the occasion?"

The way Kara nervously chuckled as she rubbed the nape of her neck prompted Lena to turn and face her.

She raised a perfect brow.

Kara flushed, her voice wavering as if she was flustered, "Th-that's not fair..."

It was barely under her breath and the Luthor's ears struggled to pick it up, but they were able to nonetheless.

"What's not fair?"

"Uh, n-nothing," she squeaked in response.

"Is everything okay, Kara?" Lena inquired with concern lacing her tone, "What's-"

"Good evening, ladies."

The pair turned towards the bartender, who just crouched behind the counter to rummage through some boxes.

His accent was peculiar.

"I'm assuming you're both here to pick up some rum? We had a call earlier."

"Yeah," Kara affirmed.

Lena held back an amused smirk at how her friend pouted when she reached into her purse to scour for a card.

She pulled it out of her wallet and glanced back up, frozen in place when she noticed how green the bartender was.

And there were gills.

Lena quickly regained her composure as her gaze darted to the other patrons - all of them aliens.

She inwardly groaned, placing her card down and sliding it to the bartender reluctantly.

She should have known better. Kara was an alien after all and Lena was quite honestly surprised that it took her this long to encounter another by extension of her friend.

The bartender swiped the metal.

She sighed with relief.

Please, don't look at the card.

Not that Lena had any 'Luthor' problems with aliens, her views were solid in that there should be precautions taken against the possibility of a threat since humans could not put all of their reliance on two caped heroes, especially after National City witnessed two devastating invasions within a single year. She believed that everyone should be treated equally, that there should be a harder effort to treat aliens humanely, but...

"Lena Luthor," the bartender hissed quietly.

The entirety of the bar silenced.

...But just because she believed that aliens should be treated humanely did not mean they would treat her humanely.

Lena and aliens have had their fair shares of conflicts; they were sometimes out for her head due to her family, and she acquired a certain amount of untrustworthiness from the experiences.

Aliens in general had fear ingrained into them from Luthors (several were xenophobic towards other species, but despising Luthors was something the majority shared), and Lena had fear ingrained into her from aliens (and even from her own abusive family, being the figurative 'alien' in the Luthor household).

Shit.

The metal card dropped onto the counter with a resounding clink, the bartender's almost murderous expression contorted as if touching something a Luthor did was horrid.

Not that she blamed any of them for wanting to kill her every other day.

How much exactly was on that card again?

A million?

It's only a million. I don't want to risk my arm getting ripped off if I try to grab it.

She twitched, made a cautious move to slide her arm away and off the counter.

But the alien was quick, lashing out to grab at her wrist; some in the building simultaneously stood up for confrontation, and the rest remained in their seats to mind their own businesses or watch how the situation would unfold.

Lena released a high-pitched keen of pain, struggling to barely keep her voice down at the intense pressure that constricted her skin.

But Kara was faster, intercepting before her friend's bones could be shattered into dust by snatching the bartender's own wrist.

Lena knew the Kryptonian could not make a show of her abilities. After all, the Luthor still supposedly did not know.

So Kara opted for a calmer approach and tightened her grip.

The bartender flinched minutely.

"Let. Go," she ordered, and it really seemed she was struggling to restrain herself from slamming the bartender against the wall.

After a second of hesitation, she squeezed harder, sweat dripping from the sides of the alien's head.

"Now," came the demand.

"I recommend you listen to her," a gruff voice commented, next to them.

The alien was tall, extremely tall, and hulking. Though not quite humanoid since there were tentacles instead of legs.

The bartender relented, as did the customers, retreating back to their booths and seats and pool tables, back to the safety of their feigned indifference.

Clearly, none of them wanted to mess with a Kryptonian.

Lena nodded towards the alien that helped her, "Thank you..."

She trailed off, unsure how to address the helper since it most likely did not share Earth's mindset on genders.

Regardless, the alien returned the nod, "Have a good day, Ms. Luthor."

They gave smiles and Kara took the bottle of alcohol and the card, exiting the premises with her friend. She gave one last dirty look to everyone in the bar before shutting the door and returning to the vehicle.

The ride back to Kara's was relatively quiet, aside from the occasional rumble of the car's engine and the honking from others.

The way up to Kara's was also uneventful until a few steps away from the door the blonde gently grasped her friend's bruised hand.

"Your wrist-"

"-is fine," Lena interjected, shrugging off the touch, immediately regretting her actions when she saw the worry in her friend's eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Kara asked fishing out her keys and unlocking her apartment.

She swung the door open and set her bottle of rum on the coffee table, then gestured inside, retrieving the first aid kit from her bathroom before joining the Luthor on the couch.

"Awful," came the belated reply.

Kara sighed.

Lena smiled, slightly confused, "Is there a reason why you sound so relieved, Ms. Danvers?"

The blonde released a single half-hearted chuckle while looking through the clutter in the box, "You didn't snap at me with an 'I'm fine' like usual."

"I guess that calls for a celebration then, I've hit a milestone," Lena laughed, slipping away and pouring herself a glass of whiskey and the rum for her friend.

Kara frowned when her guest returned, brows furrowed in all seriousness as she took her drink and sipped it, "We aren't making light of this situation though," she then pulled out an ice pack, crushing it to activate the coldness before softly pressing it onto the rather nasty hand-shaped bruise.

Lena grimaced, gulping her whiskey in the hopes it would eventually dull the pain into numbness, and Kara followed up with profuse apologies.

"Anyway, how do you feel?"

"Still pretty awful," she whispered.

A pause.

A thump as Kara set her glass of alien rum onto the table.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talking about it won't really fix the root of my problems, will it?" Lena remarked bitterly.

Another gulp of whiskey.

"Root?"

"Me. I'm a Luthor," she scoffed, as if the answer was clear as crystal, "I'm honestly both pleased and surprised you forget that."

"You aren't a problem," Kara countered, only to be met with an eye roll.

"You aren't!" she reiterated.

"You're exactly one person that thinks so, and you can't account for the thoughts of billions of others' opinions," Lena argued, sipping her whisky, relishing in the burn down her throat, "They hate me. Unfair, but understandable."

"They'll come around," Kara smiled softly, "Winn likes you. So that's two. It's a start."

Lena chuckled hoarsely, shaking her head, "Yeah, sure," she frowned, took a moment to herself, "I know I'm being irrational. I know I've gained the trust from some of the alien population on Earth after turning in my mother," darkness crossed her features, "But her framing me destroyed most of the trust I earned. Then the Daxamite invasion, I constructed a device that was built to obliterate an entire species of aliens; the majority escaped, but a handful died from the lead poisoning. I pretty much have to start from scratch."

The blonde pouted, she tried for lightheartedness, but her eyes saddened at the confession, "You know what'll make you feel better?"

The Luthor pondered before an amused grin curled her lips up, "You let me make us some kale?"

Kara forced a purposely over-exaggerated laugh, "Ha! Hahaha!" then her expression deadpanned, "No. Not in a million years, Luthor, and I swear if you make me try that evil green leaf again I'm going to sue you to bankruptcy and we will no longer be friends."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," the woman chuckled.

She would not have generally been too keen on anyone referring to her by her last name, as it was always utilized as an acidic insult and maybe accompanied a bit of spit. But the way if fell from the blonde's lips was endearing, void of any harsh judgement.

"You, Lena Luthor, are telling me that I'm beingdramatic?" Kara sputtered out through her laughter.

The CEO's jaw dropped slightly before closing, "You make a point."

"A great point actually. Do I need to remind you of that time-"

"Okay," Lena cut in, placing her hand over her friend's mouth, "Bringing up my dramatic-ness is totally unnecessary, Ms. Danvers. I don't need any reminders."

Kara giggled, muffled under the skin of Lena's palm, "Anyway, I was going to say that we should dance!"

The Luthor cringed, "How about no?"

But Kara was already up and turning the stereo to some old forties or fifties song.

She grabbed ahold of her friend and tugged.

Lena shook her head and offered a polite smile, "No, thanks."

Kara pouted and pulled her up.

"Woah," the Luthor slumped into her friend's strong arms, and she balanced herself by placing her hands on broad shoulders.

She blushed, and thought that Kara was too, but she was a little drunk. Not slurred speech drunk, but more no inhibitions drunk. The blonde had no reason to be blushing in her presence. They were only friends after all.

Kara placed her hands on Lena's arms and shook them around to loosen her stiffness up.

She could feel the tension leaving her muscles gradually, and the heat that travelled from the blonde's touch and up her body really helped.

"C'mon!" Kara urged cheerfully. Then her fingers were on Lena's hips and she twirled them around.

"I hope we're not going to be spinning too much, not sure if I can handle it," the Luthor commented as their movements became sillier.

"Nonsense!" Kara scoffed, bouncing with energy, "We're not that drunk."

"I beg to differ."

"I'm not drunk! I haven't even had a full glass yet!" the blonde protested as Lena swung under her arched arm, "Just a little more bubbly and..." she wildly waved a hand, "...floaty. I can still walk in a straight line."

Within ten minutes of dancing they were both laughing hysterically, plopping back onto the cushions of the couch to catch their breaths.

"Okay," Lena chuckled, "I'll admit that made me feel slightly better."

You always make me feel better.

She bit her tongue before she could say anything, cursing how loose it was due to the whiskey.

"Slightly?" Kara repeated, "I guess I'll just have to try harder."

Lena smirked.

This was just friendly banter. No ounce of flirting. None.

"Why exactly are you drinking again?" the Luthor echoed her question from earlier.

"Only enough to, you know, unwind," Kara grinned, fidgeting with her hands.

"Why would you of all people need to unwind?"

The blonde giggled, wringing her fingers together on top of the pillow she squished on her lap - she had always been a tactile person, "I've been wanting to ask you out on a date for a while 'cause you're really amazing and beautiful and just ugh, and I just never found the courage to, so I decided that getting a little tipsy would do the trick," she continued to ramble, not even taking a breath and leaving room for a reply, "But then I thought you'd say no so I drank a little more just to make sure I wouldn't be upset later if that happened or, I mean, you're not even obligated to say yes either, so then I thought-"

Lena did a double take as her mind short circuited once again, "I - you want to take me out on a date?"

Kara hiccupped, eyes wide, "How'd you - did I just - darn! I wanted to make it special and fancy and-"

The nervous distress was evident, particularly when the sound of the pillow's seams ripping were picked up by the Luthor.

"I'd love to, Kara," Lena smirked in her friend's ear, too close, watching as the heated red of embarrassment crept up to the tips.

She placed a hand on the ones clutched tightly onto the cushion.

"Wh - I - uh..." the blonde started, dazed from the answer, unclenching her fists from the pillow.

"You'd love to?" she managed to squeak, her cheeks pinkening.

"Of course, I've..." Lena chuckled, finally admitting, "...been having a similar crisis to yours for a while as well."

The grin Kara had plastered on her face was the biggest yet.

"I guess this calls for a celebration," the Luthor smiled, echoing her statement from earlier as she grabbed the glass cup from the coffee table and chugged its contents down. She made her way into the kitchen to retrieve some more whiskey.

"And maybe some more dancing, I guess," she added, the giddiness in her chest overflowing.

She clicked her tongue and paused next to the counter, still in view from the living room.

That's odd.

The taste was...peculiar.

Lena cringed, just barely processing the bitterness on her taste buds and how strong it was. Like, really strong.

And that was saying something, especially coming from a person that often emptied pure vodka, whiskey, and even moonshine from her beverage cabinets a few times a month.

Which, came the vague register in her thoughts, she should quite honestly control her problem with alcohol intake. Though it was usually due to Lena's brooding and pining over a certain blonde, so she probably had that taken care of already.

She coughed from the power of the liquid, observed the glass cup and swirled it around, chuckling belatedly as the recognition came.

The few drops left were slightly lighter in color than the whiskey she purchased.

"Oops."

At the same moment, Kara abruptly stood, splintering the edge of the coffee table with a glass in hand. It was a little shocking that she did not jump through the plaster of the ceiling from the force.

"Lena this - this isn't my drink," came the voice, somewhat...farther, more distant than before. Almost warped.

"Yeah, I just realized that too," she replied with laugh, "I accidentally drank yours apparently. Not a big fan actually, it tastes kind of - Kara?"

Lena looked at her friend with concern, who was frozen in place as if in shock at what she was seeing, and the worry grew at the sight of pure fear and panic on the blonde's expression.

"What's wro-"

Lena let out a strangled gasp at the unbearably sharp pain she felt within her abdomen, only increasing in intensity.

She dropped the glass, it shattered on the floor with a blunt crash that shook her suddenly overly-sensitive eardrums.

Her breaths were labored as she made a futile attempt to control the immense churning and flipping her stomach did. She placed a firm grip on the counter for support when the room began to tilt with vertigo.

Then a bout of grueling nausea attacked Lena with relentless force until she vomited red all over her white blouse and the spinning floor with the slivers of glass. It took her a second, maybe three (give or take, her sense of time dwindled), to register that the substance that gratuitously poured from her lips was blood.

Her chest sputtered out a single, punishing cough that wracked her body. Then she swayed from the overwhelming dizziness before collapsing.

Her muscles spasmed, moved of their own accord as she began to convulse in a shallow bath of red and cutting glass shards.

Lena released an agonized, chilling cry of pain, her entire body felt like it erupted into flames, making every nerve under her skin scream in protest.

Then she was staring at tearful blue eyes and messy blonde hair and moving, peachy lips that shouted out incoherent nothings.

She barely felt the soft hands caress her cheeks.

Then everything below her hip numbed.

"Ah..." Lena breathed, "Ka-"

Bile bubbled up her throat and she hacked it out, several red specks spraying on Kara's panicked expression.

"What'd you - I can't - I can't hear," she said shakily.

Lena whimpered when she felt arms slip under her, her head was moved to rest on a lap.

"Legs..." she choked out, "Can't. Move."

Then her fingers froze up, the uncomfortable tightness travelling up her hands.

"Wh-what?" Kara asked, "Legs? What's-"

She shifted her position to examine farther down Lena's body.

Did she stop convulsing? She could not tell anymore, she was drifting into unconsciousness.

Perhaps not, judging by how blurry Kara's face was from her speedy, jerking movements.

Her vision became foggy and shrouded with darkness.

She vaguely heard desperate screams begging her to stay awake before she gave up and closed her eyes, let the blackness surround her.

The rest of her senses ceased to function.

Except pain. She still felt pain. So much pain.

Rao, that smile.

Oh, did she love that smile.

It was not anything big per say, not like her own scintillating grins. It always started as a little twitch at the edges. Sometimes it would curl up to a tiny half smile, if Lena let it, if her presence was enough to elicit some happy reaction from the always stoic Luthor.

Usually Kara succeeded.

Usually.

There were some times when Lena would have a particularly bad day, whether it was from the board members or someone trying to kill her Kara did not know - she always remained in the dark.

Lena never did like talking about herself, so the blonde rarely tried to pry, knowing just from the woman's expression that it would likely open a can of worms she was not ready to deal with.

She could see it, most of the time, in the emerald irises - so deep in its gradients of greens it resembled an endless forest - that they were jaded.

So tired, dulled over, and so weary from life. Maybe a little bored and terse.

Never defeated though. Never.

Though there were times where it did get close. Too close for comfort.

And Kara could tell because whenever defeat was nearly touching Lena, her eyes slanted in frustration and her shoulders drooped low and her voice was curt; it was the polar opposite from the indifferent, concise, and proper Luthor she was taught - no, trained - to be. Then there was either the absence of a smile or a forced one, and Kara had come to the conclusion that she greatly preferred no smile instead, because at least it meant Lena was not trying to lie to her about how she was doing - always opting to hide all of her pain behind a weak tilt of a corner at her lips.

They eventually spent more time together, at Kara's insistence. Then the closed-off attitude gradually lessened, prompted a friendship that was not as 'one-sided' when Lena started to call or text to make plans.

Kara always remained in the dark about her new best friend's past though, not that she should have been upset about that, because she hid a huge part of herself too - being National City's caped crusader.

But then after the Daxamite invasion, the 'always in the dark' became a 'usually in the dark' as Lena cautiously peppered a little of herself in their conversations here and there, cherry-picking all the ones she deemed good.

Then a few weeks ago 'usually in the dark' bordered on 'rarely in the dark' as Lena scattered more of herself into their conversations, a lot of them casual and succinct slip-ups with horrifying implications, much to Kara's dismay and uneasiness. They were not intended to be...dark. Lena thought how she was raised was normal, but she would always gauge Kara's reaction, and if it seemed rather shocked she would remedy the situation with euphemisms; she would always try to take back what she shared or cover it up with some topic more lighthearted with a fidget. Well, not really a fidget, all her movements were elegant and purposeful, just a little less so when she was trying to avoid something.

Like a dear friend's judgmental gaze.

Kara learned that child abuse was one of the reasons behind Lena's heartbreaking silence, primarily from Lillian, but she never elaborated past implying she was hit often - could not elaborate.

And that made Kara sick.

She did not think she could hate Lillian Luthor more for being the cause behind such a sorrowful smile.

The way her friend was treated at the alien bar served to fuel her anger, so much that she was sort of taken aback at how she did not snap the bartender's arm instantly.

A part of her was thankful that Lena was able to share snippets of her life, no matter how horrifying.

But then there were days, just ordinary days, where Kara would witness something amazing - that little genuine twitch that would stretch Lena's lips into a half-smile, but not halfhearted.

The woman seldom showed any vulnerability, and the first time she grinned like that, it made Kara's heart skip and stutter with sheer joy.

Her smiles were always closed-lipped, the rest of the emotions caged within her lungs, but the Kryptonian could hope for more.

Kara did not expect that dream to happen at all, but when it came true, her heart not only stopped, but her lungs ceased to function as well.

The smile, ear to ear, left her breathless as she froze to simply gawk at the wine-colored lips that exhibited teeth so white and alabaster like her gorgeously pale skin.

Kara did not think there was anything more beautiful.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to such radiance.

She was wrong.

The moment she blabbered out her more-than-friendly feelings for Lena, the woman gifted her a smile so divine she felt like she would explode.

I did that. She's doing that 'cause of me.

Her mind flashed through a million different adjectives from numerous different languages, human and alien, to describe the stellar beauty that was Lena Luthor; all goddess-like in her casual attire - white blouse that showcased a modest amount of cleavage for Kara's roaming eyes, black skinny jeans that hugged her hips affectionately, sneakers instead of those god-awful heels she always had to walk in, and dark wavy hair swept over her shoulders rather than being constricted in a high ponytail.

And it was all ruined in one fell swoop when Kara lifted the glass cup to her lips and swallowed a swig of her alien rum.

Only, the taste was ghastly different from what she had just a minute ago.

She smacked her lips.

The taste was still off.

The heart stopping realization dawned on her, the word 'panic' falling much too short to describe the utter terror she felt.

Kara jumped to her feet as an 'oops' was uttered from Lena, uncaring about her poor coffee table that splintered at the edges, beverage still in hand.

"Lena, this - this isn't my drink," she breathed.

She looked at her friend's lips move, not registering what she was saying, too preoccupied with staring in shock and fear.

That smile painted on Lena's face was quickly contorted into one of excruciating pain.

Glass scattered on the floor.

Red poured out of her friend's mouth.

Then the woman stumbled, falling in a heap of her blood and the shards littered on the hardwood.

Convulsions complemented Lena's uneven, heavy breaths and guttural groans.

Kara finally moved, sped to her friend's side, watched as the familiar green eyes glazed over in pain, then a wailing sound tore from Lena's throat - a sound she did not ever want to hear again.

"Ah..."

The Kryptonian strained her ears.

"Ka-"

Speckles of blood clung onto her face, stained - corrupted - Lena's white blouse.

"What'd you-" she moved to lift the woman to her lap, "I can't - I can't hear."

Maybe because she could not stop focusing on how sweaty and warm Lena felt, like she was running a fever. The jerking convulsions would not stop either, so Kara had to make her grip firmer to still her.

A sobbing whine erupted from the woman's chest and that was another sound added onto the Kryptonian's list of which she never wanted to hear again.

Lena puffed out another breath.

Legs?

Kara faintly registered the word.

"Wh-what?" she asked with a trembling voice, "Legs? What's-"

She moved, observed the area below Lena's hips, how they did not shake violently with the rest of her body, how they were suspiciously still.

Then it was her hands, she watched the cells in her muscles seize until they froze, petrified.

Then relaxed, unresponsive to stimuli.

It's paralyzing her.

"Lena!" Kara shouted, cupping her face, "Hey!"

There was no response, and the woman's gaze faltered lazily.

"Stay awake! Please! Don't - don't do this to me! C'mon!"

No reply.

Kara patted her friend's cheeks furiously, her own vision blurring from the hot tears that spilled over, "Stay awake!"

Lena's eyes fluttered closed.

Kara screamed out a sob, a chant uttering from her quivering lips, "No. No, no, no. Please. Rao, please, don't do this to me. Not her. I'm begging you."

She shot out of her window, a bloodied Lena Luthor cradled gently in her arms, towards the DEO.

She activated her comms as she sped through the darkness of the night sky.

"Alex?"

No one would see her, and if they did, she would not care, all that mattered was the fading life in her hands.

"Yeah," static, "Kara? What's wrong?"

"I'm heading to the DEO, please get the med bay prepared," she sobbed.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Kara," Alex said through the earpiece, "I'm getting them ready, what happened?"

"Lena, sh-she..." another sob, "She - p-poison."

"Poison?" came the inquiry, urging her to elaborate, "What toxin is it?"

"Sh-she drank..." Kara made a strangled noise, falling over her own words, "Alduveran rum."

The panicked noise Alex made in the background that coincided with shouting orders did nothing to ease the Kryptonian's panic.

"It's deadly to humans," M'gann had said.

And the blight was spreading fast.

Her gaze landed back to Lena as she recorded the shallow staccato breaths, the intolerable and sweltering heat of her ghostly white skin, the thumping heartbeat under the rapidly moving chest that began to fade. The aftershocks of the convulsions still persisted with twitches from time to time.

Then there was the blood that dripped from Lena's already crimson lips.

"Kara?"

She startled, unaware she had landed at the DEO, everything was just automatic and her body moved of its own accord.

"You've got to let go of her. It'll be fine," Alex whispered, "She'll be fine."

Then Lena was lifted from her arms, placed on a gurney and rolled away. She followed after it in a trance, the sticky blood all over her clothes leaving a feeling of emptiness within her.

Then the erratic thumping sputtered, then halted.

"No!" Kara screamed, reaching out, "Her heart! It's not beating!"

"Hey!"

Alex obscured her view, blocked her path, and the Kryptonian made to move past her older sister.

"Get out of my way!"

"Restrain her!" J'onn ordered.

Alex lifted her palm up, signaling the agents to stop, "That's unnecessary, let me talk to her."

The Martian nodded once before having the DEO members step back, still prepared to subdue a Kryptonian.

"Kara!" she called out, continuing to push her little sister back, "You can't go in there! The doctors need to work and my biochem team needs to analyze the rum, you can't disrupt any of us - it's a matter of life and death and I know you don't want to be responsible for the latter!"

Kara stopped, collapsing to her knees, her body wracked with sobs as her eyes never left the gurney receding down the hall into the emergency room.

"I called Maggie," Alex whispered, "She's poking around the bar, looking for an antidote, and J'onn along with the navigation team are trying to track down M'gann, to see if she knows anything."

She was met with silence.

Again.

For the last five or ten minutes.

Kara slumped on the bench, hunched over, legs dangling over the edge as her head drooped.

Her silent tears dripped onto the dried blood on her palms, past the grooves in her skin, and then onto the floor with a small pink hue.

It crusted her nails as well, flaked off in slow motion.

Winn looked on in worry from his terminal, his gaze going back and forth between the two sisters.

"Kara..." Alex brushed the hero's hand, and it flinched violently in response.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, you probably need time to...process all of this, but if we want to save Lena, I'm going to need information."

The blonde simply nodded.

"Okay, how much did she drink?"

Kara's brows crinkled as her thoughts backpedaled, her face drawn in agony at the memories.

"The glass was filled."

Alex sighed, this might have been a little more difficult than she thought; the answer was too broad.

"What glass?" she tried again.

Kara's lips twitched a fraction, "Your fancy Remy Martin cup."

If it was not such a dire situation Alex might have been a little pissed.

"The fine champagne cognac cup?"

A nod.

"Okay," Alex glanced to Winn, who was already typing notes down, "She definitely ingested between 250 milliliters and 500 milliliters."

And that was a frightening amount.

If she was trying to hide the horror in her expression, she failed.

Kara noticed the darkened look.

"She's not going to make it, is she?"

The voice was hopeless, defeated.

Alex turned away, towards Winn, so that she would not be analyzed.

"Hey, nerd, can you try to find more obscure information about Alduveran rum? Especially if it relates to human consumption?"

"Already on it," came the tentative answer.

Alex turned back, diverted away from the question with another, "What happened? Tell me everything. Starting from the moment she drank the rum."

Kara shuddered as the memories flooded back.

"She...wobbled a little, then..."

Then she careened to the side and lurched over. Violently.

"...then she fell..."

Alex's brows furrowed at the oversimplification, "I'm going to need more than that, Kara, if you can manage - more details."

Another sigh.

"Then she..." a gulp, "She puked blood all over the floor. It just, it wouldn't stop. Then she fell and started to seize. I got a closer look with my vision, it looked like she was being...paralyzed or...something. And her body was burning hot."

"For a human," Kara added hastily (being Kryptonian, heat did not harm her unless it was 2,500 degrees Celsius), "And her heartbeat was vibrating so fast, like a hum, but it didn't have a rhythm - it was erratic. Then it slowed, and then it sped up, it wouldn't stay the same tempo. I didn't - I didn't know what to do, I just...wasted my time sitting there."

Alex waited for more, but after several long seconds passed, she relented her interrogation.

The agent nodded, stroked her sister's arm, then moved to Winn, relaying all the details she gathered.

"Are you synced with the biochem team's computers?"

"Yeah."

"Good, the results and testings should come in pretty steadily."

A pause.

"The poison is versatile," she whispered, nudging him, "We'll start with the neurotoxic part. It's a lot like batrachotoxin."

"Like the one in poison dart frogs and puffer fish?" Winn asked.

"Yeah, that toxin acts directly on sodium ion channels, it depolarizes and inhibits, its effects are-"

"Permanent," Winn finished grimly.

Alex huffed through her nostrils and the man winced; they looked back towards Kara, still in some dissociated state.

"But BTX is from Earth," Alex said, "And the substance we're dealing with is alien. The antidote could reverse everything for all we know. Hopefully it's temperature dependent like BTX, it could make things easier."

Winn gave her a look that seemed to say, 'if there is an antidote'.

Alex shook her head, continuing, "The other symptoms are also similar to digoxin - fatigue, nausea, vertigo, vision disturbances, vomiting... And...lots of heart problems. Even if Lena survives, we can't guarantee that there won't be any long term injuries."

"Especially if the poison works with the spasms like strychnine," Winn pointed out.

Alex frowned at the comment, her voice deeper, "The convulsions gradually stopped, but they did have to strap her down so she wouldn't arch her spine continuously - the vertebrae aren't stressed. But then she's not violently responsive to even the tiniest amount of stimuli, her neurons don't fire aggressively, but she's going through tachycardia and hyperthermia - the doctors are trying to cool her down too."

"What's the usual procedure for situations like this?" Winn inquired.

"I don't know, gastric lavage? Probably not since there's a lot of internal bleeding, and that means hypovolemic shock. Maybe charcoal? This is an alien poison, Schott, I don't know."

"Well, lucky we have alien medical tools," Winn added, "Wait. Internal bleeding? Brodifacoum?"

Alex smacked his head, pointing to the monitor's live updates, "Pay attention. It's not a pesticide."

"Ow," he rubbed the back of his head with a pout.

"It's also an anticoagulant, it's made her capillaries more permeable," she side-eyed Kara, then resumed her focus back on Winn and the screen, her tone graver than before, "Lena should be dead..."

"Are you saying something's preventing her?"

"The poison. Barely. Or she's one hell of a fighter. Or both."

"So a slow and painful death, awesome," Winn sighed dejectedly.

"How about you talk a little louder?" Alex grit through her clenched teeth.

"What's the point of whispering? Kara has super hear-"

"Aestus."

They both jumped.

"It was called the Red Tide," the Kryptonian explained, "It could counter the effects of the Aldeveran rum. Maybe."

Alex nodded, "Go."

As if Kara really needed her permission in the first place.

"Wait, wait, wait. H-Hold up," Winn laughed nervously, unsure, "Are we seriously considering on using a different poison as an antidote? Those two things aren't synonyms, guys."

"Then contact me when you've proposed another idea," Kara snapped before taking off.

"The influx of aestus could overcome the rum," Alex said.

"And it doesn't come with a catch? No..." he flailed his arms, "Well, no terms and conditions?"

Silence.

"It could be too much for Lena's body to handle - she's human, and she's already really weakened. She can't even breathe on her own the last time I checked, she has to have a machine do it for her, the nerve agent closed up her throat with the swelling," Alex pointed to a section on the screen, "Look at the chemical structure, compare it to the aestus, Kara's idea might be the best option we have. The best option Lena has."

"How much should be administered, Dr. Hamilton?"

"125 milliliters to be safe, Director," the woman declared, snapping on her latex gloves and flicking the syringe from her tray of surgical tools.

"I'm quite positive that none of this really could be defined as 'safe'," M'gann cut in.

"You make a fair point," Dr. Hamilton quipped, slipping on her surgical mask. From the corner of her eye, she noted Supergirl's - Kara's - face, gaunt from what seemed to be decades of worry as several of her friends and family stood outside of the operating room; Alex, Maggie, James, Winn...

The woman tore her gaze away, to her colleague, "Shall we get started, Dr. Danvers?"

Eliza gave a tight-lipped smile before adorning her mask as well, eyes darting to her youngest daughter then to J'onn.

"If the operation succeeds, we're to expect some pretty...daunting long-term damage done to her body, or maybe a complete recovery since alien substances are unpredictable. But according to our studies, the patient may still experience paralysis, of which we're unsure if it would be temporary or permanent. A weakened respiratory system would be part of the outcome as well since the Alduveran rum acts similarly to a cardiotoxin, hemotoxin, and neurotoxin."

"And what complications could we - could the patient be facing during this procedure?" J'onn inquired, perhaps for the sake of Kara.

"Other than death," Dr. Hamilton started, cutting to the chase, "The aestus could completely override the Alduveran rum and claim Ms. Luthor's body instead, which has already been significantly weakened. Most probable, respiratory failure. Survival is possible, though it isn't likely, our odds are..." she trailed off with a pause as her eyes shifted around wary looks, "...startlingly low."

"But it's possible."

The operation room quieted as the trembling voice entered the premises.

"Yes," Dr. Hamilton answered.

"Kara, why don't you stay outside with the others?" Eliza frowned.

"No," the blonde shook her head, eyes roaming over Lena's prone body.

Her heart dropped as she took in all the wires, the machine breathing for her, the white medical gown, the straps across her body...the veins and smaller arteries webbed across hauntingly pale skin with a black hue.

Lena was shivering, still, but it was slight, along with the quivering of her lips in the tube.

"She's my-" the blonde shook her head, "I'm staying with her."

"Kara..."

Dr. Hamilton contemplated, watched as Lena relaxed, "Wait, if things go awry, we could always use Kara to...mellow things down," she nodded at the vitals on the screen, "And some extra restraining power wouldn't hurt, since we already have two psychic Martians busy with trying to subdue any mental disturbances in the patient during the operation."

She turned to Kara, "You'll still need to stay out of our way, on the sides, we can't have any interruptions - don't do anything unless you're instructed to do so, okay? You need to understand that whatever impulsive action you take will likely tamper our procedure, as well as threaten Ms. Luthor's life."

Kara nodded, backpedalling to the farthest corner of the room.

Dr. Hamilton turned back towards her surgeons, "Well? Let's get started."

"A coma? But, the poison, it was all..."

The voice sounded angry, frustrated...crushed. The tone made Lena's heart drop.

"Yes, we're...unsure about the length of time; she can breathe on her own now though. But we wouldn't be surprised if she didn't-"

"Don't," a shaky breath, "Don't even finish that sentence. She'll wake up. She has to."

"You need to go home, it's been almost a week and you've practically been living here."

The woman sounded protective, concerned.

"I can't. I need to be here for her."

Lena felt warm hands wrapping themselves around her own.

"We don't even know if she'll wake-"

"When she'll wake up," came the interruption, curt.

"Hi..."

The voice was nervous, drawn with obvious pain, likely originating from the warm torso and arm draped over Lena's waist that she felt.

The voice was directed towards her.

The amount of strength that the Luthor managed conjure up was not enough; her eyes remained closed, her lips pressed tightly together, her muscles still.

The heap on her body shifted, and Lena assumed that the person - woman - turned to face her.

If she could flush, she would have, feeling as if she was under a powerful gaze.

"They don't think you'll wake up... I mean, they don't say it out loud, but I can tell they're thinking that."

It was tiny, rough, hoarse with grief and laced in guilt.

"I do though."

Though a part of it was uncertain, quieter.

"But now..."

There it was, the doubt.

"...now I'm not so sure that you'll ever come back."

Lena felt something wet, the dampness of the thin hospital blanket that was covering her.

Tears.

How long has she been crying?

"If you do wake up, the doctors said the paralysis would go away," the woman continued, sniffling, "And I'll let you make all the kale dishes you want, and I swear I'll eat all of them, okay?"

Kara?

A moment of silence passed.

"I miss you," came the simple statement.

I miss you too.

"Just...wake up for me. Pinky promise?"

Kara's hand gently intertwined with Lena's, weaving the motionless little finger with her own.

Then the sobs started, quiet and uncontrollable; it made the Luthor's heart ache.

Lena's body screamed to give Kara some reply, in any form be it a twitch of her hand or a groan from her lips.

But she could not.

I promise.

The next time Lena came to, the warmth of Kara's body was still resting on hers, this time accompanied with soft snores.

She felt her lips twitch, but that was as far as she could get with a smile.

Her eyes though, she managed to crack them open, but immediately shut them when the bright lights of her room assaulted her vision.

Her second attempt was met with more success. A blink, two, then three until her pupils adjusted.

The first thing her eyes rested on was a familiar head of blond hair, splayed across her abdomen, and her heart swelled at the sight.

She wanted, so desperately, to move, to embrace the hero, but her body resisted any attempts in movement no matter how hard she willed herself to.

Her fingers twitched, it was minuscule, but it was enough. Lena exhausted all of her concentration into her one hand and it lolled to the side, inching towards the blonde in an excruciatingly slow manner.

But it was worth it when she finally grazed the hair, silky to the touch. Then she ran her fingers awkwardly through the soft golden tresses, watched as they parted through her hands when she gently scratched the scalp.

Kara hummed, content, and Lena managed a fraction of a smile.

"Ah..."

She narrowed her eyes in exasperation when she realized that the majority of her body was still utterly petrified from the ordeal.

That was some drink...

Kara stirred, groaning as she lifted herself and wiped the groggy sleep from her eyes.

Then she froze, mouth agape.

Lena's eyes were open, Lena's fingers were tangled in her hair, Lena's lips struggled to quirk into a smile.

Lena was awake and alive.

Then Lena was tackled into a hug so tight it forced the air from her lungs.

The blonde pulled back, an odd combination of happiness and worry in her expression.

"You're...you're awake."

Lena managed a tiny nod and an even tinier smile.

She was alarmed to see the blonde's eyes spill even more tears, but in her incapacitated state, she was unable to do anything more than stare.

"I'm sorry. I should've been more careful. Then you wouldn't be in so much pain. I should've told you. Then maybe none of this would've happened. I should've..."

Lena frowned, shook her head as much as she could manage.

Kara's shoulders dropped as well as her voice, "I watched you die, you were in my arms. Then you crashed, what, three times? I watched the poison rip you apart."

Lena's fingers moved, brushing Kara's, who took it as an invitation to entwine their hands. Then her index finger curled once, twice, as if to beckon the blonde over.

She leaned in.

"Is...o-kay..."

Kara shook her head, "No, it's not. You can barely move, barely speak...and I don't know for how long. I don't know what'll make this better..."

Lena chuckled. It was weak and hoarse from rest, but the sound still made the Kryptonian's heart elated.

"...ale..."

"What?" Kara asked, brows furrowed so closely the crinkle showed, "Ale? No way, no more drinks! Especially after what happened! I can't believe you'd even suggest-"

Lena squeezed the hand in her grasp to quiet the hero in front of her.

She shook her head.

Kara tilted hers, "Then, what..."

"Ka-le."

The blonde made a face, "I was kidding about letting you make as many kale dishes as you wanted."

Lena forced the stiff muscles on her face to form a pout, though only felt her lips slant slightly.

It still worked.

"That's not fair."

Lena utilized the last of her strength to muster up her signature raised eyebrow.

Kara broke the gaze and folded her arms, grumbling, "There's this new vegan place a few blocks from mine..."